Comic Legend And Pioneer, Jackie "Moms" Mabley Was Born On March 19, 1894, In Brevard, North Carolina.

Born Loretta Mary Aiken, She Changed Her Name Because Her Brother Was Ashamed To Have A Sister In Show Business. The Name, Jackie Mabley, Came From An Old Boyfriend. As She Jokingly Told Ebony Magazine, "He Took So Much From Me, It Was The Least I Could Do." She Used "Moms" Because She Was Truly A Maternal Figure To Other Comedians She Worked With.

She Began Her Career In Black Vaudeville, Better Known As The Chitlin’ Circuit. This Was The Collective Name Given To A String Of Entertainment Venues In The Southern And Eastern United States, Where Black Entertainers (Comics, Musicians, Dancers, Singers, etc.) Performed During The Days Of Segregation. Night Clubs Like The Cotton Club, The Victory Grill And The Apollo Theater Were Among These.

At The Height Of Her Popularity During The 1950’s And 1960’s, Mabley Earned As Much As $10,000.00 A Week. She Also Gained Mainstream Popularity, Playing Carnegie Hall At One Point In Her Career.
She Recorded Several Successful Comedy Albums, Appeared In Movies And On Television.

Appearing On Stage In A House Dress, Frumpy Hat, And Speaking With Her Distinctive, Raspy Voice, Moms Used Comedy To Tackle A Number Of Issues, Including Racism And Police Brutality. Her Most Famous Routines Centered Around Her Preference For Younger Men
And Her "Putdowns" Of "Old Men."

Moms Mabley Paved The Way For Future Generations Black Comedians, Male And Female, Including Redd Foxx, Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Pryor, Marsha Warfield, Bill Cosby, Wanda Sykes, Dick Gregory And Mo’Nique.

Jackie "Moms" Mabley Died May 23, 1975, In White Plains, New York.


"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." --Hubert Gaddy